Twitter in talks to buy TweetDeck, say reports

Brit owner said to be in 'advanced talks' over $50m deal

Third-party Twitter and Facebook client TweetDeck is subject to a $50m (£31m) takeover bid from Twitter, according to late-breaking reports on Monday night.

Brit Ian Dodsworth, who owns the company, is said to be in advanced talks with the social networking giant although neither party is yet to comment on the story.

Talk of the proposed agreement started on Twitter, but has gained credence after being picked up by publications like the Wall Street Journal and The Guardian.

Earlier stories had hinted that UberMedia was also interested in the 15-man, British-based company and had tabled a $30m bid.

Multiple accounts

TweetDeck has enjoyed a successful run as both a desktop application and a smartphone app, allowing users to manage multiple Facebook and Twitter accounts at the same time.

The company is also experiencing success in courting advertisers to the service and according to the latest research from eMarketer is on track to earn $150m this year.

While a TweetDeck sale would be a blockbuster deal for the young company, we must stress that nothing has been confirmed at this time, and reports are still based largely on rumour.

It's interesting that the TweetDeck takeover stories have arisen at a time when Twitter itself is subject to talk of a buyout, with both Facebook and Google believed to have bid for the company or at least weighing up an offer.